Emmanuel Macron is a friend not a foe – and Liz Truss is self-inflicting damage on the Western alliance
If France is a potential enemy, who the heck does Truss think are our friends?
ByEmmanuel Macron
At the age of 39, in 2017, Emmanuel Macron became the youngest president of the French Fifth Republic. He had only founded his centrist political party, En Marche, in April 2016. In April 2022 he won a second term as president of the EU’s second-largest economy, which no French president had achieved in 20 years. He studied at the prestigious Henri IV high school in Paris, and he studied philosophy and later attended the École Nationale d’Administration. Find our latest news and comment here.
In the grip of overlapping crises, Europe faces a leadership vacuum
Emmanuel Macron is a lame duck, Mario Draghi is leaving office and Olaf Scholz is hesitant. Who will step up…
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Does the French left have a future?
Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s left-wing alliance Nupes could continue to disrupt French politics – if it doesn't collapse first.
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Can Marine Le Pen wield power?
Her far-right party is as influential as ever but questions remain about whether the RN is credible.
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Russia must lose this war
To ask the Ukrainians to stop fighting and negotiate is to invite a reinvasion as soon as Putin has rebuilt…
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The second coming of Nato
The alliance has been revived – but it can’t save the West.
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The fracturing of French politics spells instability – but also a chance for renewal
With Emmanuel Macron forced to negotiate on legislation, the Assemblée Nationale matters more than it has in decades.
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Emmanuel Macron falls to earth
For the first time in 20 years, a French president will not have a parliamentary majority.
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EU membership for Ukraine will take years – but Kyiv needs weapons now
Promises of eventual membership provide some of the political disadvantages associated with joining but none of the advantages.
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France’s Jupiter may be about to discover a culture of compromise
Emmanuel Macron’s party cannot be sure of the parliamentary majority presidents usually take for granted.
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The war in Ukraine should have strengthened Europe’s common voice. Why hasn’t it?
"European sovereignty" has to bind in central and eastern states if it is to succeed
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History’s long shadow falls over Russia and Ukraine
Wars have rules, and those who ignore them are apt to achieve surprise, simply by being stupid.
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Exclusive polling: leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon ahead in French legislative race
An alliance of the left could deny Emmanuel Macron a parliamentary majority.
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Headache for Emmanuel Macron as support for the French left surges
As the parliamentary elections loom, 64 per cent of voters say they want to see the president forced into a…
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For only the second time, France has a female prime minister
Élisabeth Borne is a safe choice for Emmanuel Macron, but the symbolism of her appointment matters.
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Is Macron’s “multispeed Europe” the future of the EU?
The French president has proposed an inner core of heavily integrated EU states, with a looser grouping that includes all…
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Could Emmanuel Macron be forced to appoint Jean-Luc Mélenchon as prime minister?
An electoral pact between the main parties of the left aims to win a parliamentary majority in June's elections.
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Emmanuel Macron’s win can’t hide a fractured France
The battle lines between the metropolitan middle classes and those who are excluded from the benefits of his “globalised” vision…
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Will Emmanuel Macron finally turn green rhetoric into radical action?
The French president is making ambitious climate claims. But will his poor track record improve in his second term?
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Emmanuel Macron defeats Marine Le Pen
Macron has triumphed over his far-right rival to become the first president to win re-election in 20 years.